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Lawn Weeds - How You Can Beat
Them
Sometimes it seems as
though everything is out to thwart your
desire to have that beautiful, healthy,
green carpet of lawn. Despite your
efforts it is still patchy, brown and
attacked by weeds. But don’t give
up. It may not be too late.
Most gardeners don’t mind the odd
weed as long as the lawn still looks
pretty good. However remember that the
odd weed in spring could be a large
infestation by midsummer if you
don’t deal with it. If you mow the
lawn once a week you will remove most of
the flower stems before they can set
seeds. However, many of the lawn weeds
grow flat and do not produce flowers on
long stems, so these will still flower
and set seeds no matter how often you
mow. Other methods are needed to treat
these weeds. Remember, the earlier you
attack the weeds the better as “One
year’s seeding makes for seven years
weeding!”
The best way to keep your lawn looking
great is to keep the grass plants
healthy, and then they are less likely to
let weeds and pests take over. So first
of all take care of the basic needs of
your lawn.
If a lot of weeds pop up it could mean
that your grass is weaker than it should
be. If your lawn is too dry, start with a
thorough watering – to a depth of
200mm is recommended. Deep watering done
less often is better for your lawn grass
than if you water a little and often. It
helps it to develop a strong, deep root
system that makes the plants stronger and
less susceptible to drought. Or
alternatively, if you have a persistent
problem with a waterlogged lawn you may
need to consider laying drainage for
which you should consult a professional.
Feeding your lawn with the appropriate
nutrients will also make the grass
stronger.
In spite of trying to make your grass
plants as healthy as possible, you are
still sure to get some weeds growing in
it. Weeding is an ongoing process, but
shouldn’t take much time once you
establish a healthy lawn. Grass, and
especially the modern mixtures, is very
competitive and crowds out most weeds. In
a healthy lawn weeds aren’t usually
much to worry about. Simply pull up any
weeds that show up. As you see weeds
appearing, dig them up and you’ll
keep your lawn weedless with a minimum of
effort. Practically speaking though, you
will only do this if you have only a few
weeds to remove. Constant vigilance is
the key to success with this type of weed
control.
If your weed problem is larger, spray
individual weeds with a low-toxicity
herbicide. Don’t spray the entire
lawn unless you have weeds throughout it.
You will damage, and could kill dry,
dormant or stressed grass if you apply a
lawn weeder over the whole lawn. Lawn
weedkillers are powerful chemicals and
you should always follow the
manufacturers instructions for
preparation, using, storing and disposing
of them. Never use more than directed or
‘add a bit more just in case’.
You should also identify the sort of
grass you have as some types can be
damaged by MCPA and dicamba, which are
the active ingredients in many
weedkillers. Be careful not to allow pets
or children near the lawn if you’ve
recently sprayed it.
The best way to minimise the amount of
chemicals you use is to spot-treat weeds.
Use a pump-action sprayer and walk
backwards, up and down the length of the
lawn spraying a shot of chemical onto
each weed. Hold the nozzle as close as
you can to the weed and release with a
low pressure to minimise spray drift. It
does take longer to do this way but it is
more thorough and better for the
environment. If you tip a bottle of red
food colouring or add some wetting agent
into the mix, it is easier to see where
you have already sprayed.
After a couple of weeks you’ll be
seeing results. If there are still a few
weeds you’ve missed, dig them out or
do the spot treatment again. Remember if
you can kill the weeds before they flower
and seed, you’re a long way towards
having a much smaller problem next
spring.
Occasionally you may find a nasty,
particularly virulent weed takes over
your lawn in which case you need to find
out the specific treatment for it from
your local garden centre. An example of
this is Soliva, also known as lawn
burweed, spurweed, bindii, or onehunga
weed. It is low growing, has feathery
leaves and produces seeds with a short
spine on them, which stick into bare feet
when you walk on the plants, a
particularly unpleasant experience.
Although it is only an annual weed it
seeds profusely, and its method of
spreading by sticking to feet is
extremely successful. It requires a
targeted weed killer to be applied at a
particular time of the year to be
effective against it.
‘Weed and Feed’ products are
not generally recommended. For instance,
the best time for spraying weeds is not
generally the best time for fertilizing
your lawn. Also it is unwise to spray
unnecessary herbicide over your whole
lawn when only a small patch may be
infected with weeds. One concern with the
hose-on products is spray drifting onto
surrounding shrubs. It’s hard to
apply these products just to the lawn.
Applying fertilizer, herbicide and
pesticide where and when it is needed is
a better lawn care strategy.
So even if your lawn is less than perfect
now, don’t give up. Follow these
tips for getting rid of lawn weeds now,
and by this time next year you may have
all your neighbours asking you for
advice!
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